Conventionally, a snowmobile has an endless track at its rear portion for propulsion, a rear suspension that connects the track to the frame of the snowmobile, a front suspension that operatively connects a pair of skis at the forward section of the snowmobile to a steering assembly for steering, and power train components—including an engine and a continuously variable transmission mounted on the frame of the snowmobile—that provides propulsion power to the track. Further, a seat is provided for a rider and/or passengers which is positioned generally above the endless track. At the front portion of the snowmobile, fairings—typically comprising a hood as its upper component and a bottom pan as its bottom component—are provided to encase the engine and other power train components and to provide an outer shell that can be used for aesthetic decorations.
In snowmobiles, a windshield is provided to protect the user from wind and debris to which the rider typically is exposed when the snowmobile is in motion. Such windshields are generally clear or transparent structures mounted on the upper and rear section of the hood of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 9. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 9, the windshield 510 is mounted fixedly to the portion of the hood 512 which surrounds the handlebar 514 of the steering assembly. Thus, since the windshield 510 is mounted on the hood of the fairings 516, the windshield 510 does not move. These types of snowmobile windshields are typically of substantial size since they cover the entire semicircular area on the fairings surrounding the handlebar.
FIG. 10 shows another arrangement for attaching a windshield on a snowmobile which exists in the prior art. The windshield 520 shown in FIG. 10, in contrast to the windshield 510 shown in FIG. 9, is not attached to the hood 522 of the snowmobile, but rather is fixedly connected to the steering assembly 526 of the snowmobile. In this arrangement, the windshield 520 rotates with the turning of the handlebar 528 of the steering assembly 526. As can be seen, the windshield 520 tends to be smaller in size by comparison with the windshield 510 shown in FIG. 9 as it does not extend entirely around the semicircular area around the handlebar on the hood. More specifically, the windshield 520 is fixedly connected to the upper portion of the steering column of the steering assembly 526.
For both types of the conventional windshields discussed above, the windshields are fixedly attached to the hood or the steering assembly of the snowmobiles. Typically, conventional windshields are bolted to or screwed onto the hood or steering assembly member. One significant drawback to these windshields is that if the snowmobile turns over, the windshield may be damaged when the weight of the snowmobile comes to rest on the windshield.
Additionally, snowmobiles may be shipped from the factory without the windshield attached. In such a case, the snowmobile windshield must be mounted onto the snowmobile as a post-shipping operation, for example, at the dealership. The assembly time and costs incurred by the factory and/or dealer when mounting the windshield to the snowmobile may be attributed to or associated with a relatively difficult installation operation. Most of these windshields, when rigidly mounted to the snowmobile, are not removable or replaceable by the user, thus requiring factory or dealer assistance. This increases maintenance and replacement costs.
Consequently, there is a need for a quick release or detachable windshield that can be easily mounted on existing snowmobiles or can be easily manufactured as a part of new snowmobiles. Preferably, such a structure attaches easily to the steering column and detaches quickly, with appropriate force, from the snowmobile in the case of a severe impact.